Alone
by Elpheen
Summary: [HIATUS]A shot rang out, filling the room. What made her do it? Was there really no other choice? The Sliding Doors of Lost: What would have happened if Kate had never been on Oceanic 815?
1. Prologue

A.N: Well, another fic already! I'm really on a roll at the moment...but now I've got two fics to keep up with, updates may not be too regular. This is just the Prologue, so it's quite short, but subsequent chapters will increase in length :o) Let me know what you think...do you want to know what happens next?

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The shot rang out, filling the room. A gasp escaped her as the gun fell from her shaking hands and hit the floor with a metallic thud.

She'd done it. The one thing she vowed never to do, not since he had entered her life. She'd pushed the thought of it away, making herself feel repulsed by guns. And yet here she was; alone.

How long? How long before she was found? There was no longer anywhere to run. In a way, that was why she'd done it. It was her only choice.

There would be no way to tell who'd done it. She'd made sure to wear gloves, and they had been borrowed. Now they lay beside the weapon on the floor. They had been worn so many times, by so many people that her fingerprints would just be another set of hundreds, smudged and blurred. And the only thing to give her away would be the body on the floor. Not that it held any clues; she had made sure of that.

She closed her eyes, let them drift shut, thinking back on how it had come to be this way, wondering what had happened to the girl she used to be.


	2. Six

A/N: Chapter One...the first in a series of flashbacks. Oh, and a quick **Disclaimer: I don't own Barbie.** As always, reviews make me happy! Especially after a 35km hike in gale-force winds...but we won't talk about that now...

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Twenty Years Ago_

Katie sat by the window, the corner of the net curtain pulled back, as she exhaled onto the cool glass. Smiling, she reached out a finger and drew a face in the mist. She watched as the picture faded, no trace left of where it once was.

As she heard a key turn in the lock, she ran to the door.

'Mommy!' She ran to her mother, who knelt down to hug her daughter.

'Hey, Katherine, sorry I'm late, were you worried about me?'

'No, it was okay, 'cause Mrs Brennon was here. She only just left before you got home.'

'Good, she got my message then.'

Katie smiled, and took her mother's hand, 'Come see what I did at school today.'

She led her into the kitchen, chattering excitedly, and proudly presented her with a painting. It was a colourful affair, created with the innocence only a child can know. In the centre, splashed with primary colours, was a black shape, and when she squinted hard enough, Katie's mother could just about make out legs and a tail.

'Do you like my horse, Mommy? It's Beau, in his field with all the flowers.'

'Honey, it's beautiful,' she smiled, but inside her heart was breaking. She didn't want to leave her alone with Wayne. It wasn't that she didn't trust him, it was just…Katherine was becoming more withdrawn every day. And she couldn't help but feel guilty. She knew she should just tell her the truth; they were drifting further apart, and as she grew older, Katherine began to sense that she was being lied to.

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Katie sat in her room, playing with her new Barbie doll, brushing her blonde hair through with a tiny pink brush.

'Katherine? Are you up there?'

She quickly hid her doll as Wayne's footsteps echoed up the stairs. She could tell from his voice that he was 'in a bad way', as Mommy had put it, and that was never good. Last time he had broken her doll, hence why she had taken to hiding them beneath her bed. She hurriedly got under the covers as the door handle turned, and breathed slowly, willing him to go away.

'Katherine?' His voice was quieter now, dangerous, 'Katherine, I want my money back.'

Katie shivered, not knowing what he meant. She didn't have any money, and besides, stealing was bad. She'd learnt that at school.

'Pretend to be asleep; it doesn't bother me. I'll just have to find it myself.'

She heard rustling, and knew he was looking under the bed.

'So this is what she spends it on,' he raised his voice now, anger seeping in. Katie heard a _snap_, and heard the dull thud of plastic on carpet. Squeezing her eyes shut, she couldn't stop a lone tear slipping down her cheek.

'We'll see about this. I'm not having her spending _my_ money on your crap,' he spat the last word, and slammed the door as he walked out.

Tears falling freely, Katie crept out from under the covers to the foot of the bed. Her Barbie was lying on the floor, her neck cracked, her beautiful, soft hair spread across her face. Cradling the broken doll, she slipped back into bed, curling herself up, and letting her dreams take her over.


	3. Ten

A/N: Okay, this fic has kinda been on hold whilst I'm working on 'I Never', but I just had to get this chapter out, it wouldn't leave me alone. Surprisingly, my guess-work paid off...the time-frame I'm using for this fic matches Lost's pretty much exactly, in terms of Kate's age/her flashbacks...anyway, on with the story...

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_Four years later_

Katie held her breath as footsteps fell beneath her. From where she lay between the sun-dappled leaves of the old oak, she could see the top of his head moving slowly, searching. She smiled to herself, knowing that he would never think to look up.

Tucking a loose curl behind her ear, she slipped back down the gnarled trunk of the tree. The ground was soft under her bare feet as she darted from tree to tree, evading his sight.

Before she could help it, she sneezed, the pollen in the late summer air triggering an attack of hay fever. He spun round, and she heard him walking purposefully towards her. She avoided him, running between the trees, but he was too fast for her, and caught her around the waist in a clumsy tackle. They fell to the ground laughing as Katie pushed him off.

'That's not fair! It's not my fault I get hay fever.'

'Yeah, but I still caught you.'

'Fine, but I want a rematch later,' she shoved him playfully as he rolled his eyes.

'You're so competitive, Katie.'

She stuck her tongue out at him, and ran through the woods back in the direction of their houses.

'Come on Tommy, you're so slow!' She teased as she ran.

'You don't always have to run away, Katie, we could walk together.' He ran to catch her up, the promise of home-baked cookies spurring them on.

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'How about this?' Tom held up a small model plane.

'But you love that plane,' Katie wandered around the room, picking up various objects before replacing them neatly.

'Yeah, but we need to put special things in, or it won't mean anything.'

'Mm…I guess.'

'What's wrong, Katie? You're acting real quiet.'

'It's nothing,' she blinked back tears, not wanting to talk about it.

'C'mon, tell me; I'm your best friend.'

Katie sighed, raising her green eyes to meet his blue ones. She could trust him.

'It's Wayne. He hit mom again today. I'm scared that one day he'll really hurt her, I mean more than just a black eye or a sprained wrist. When he gets like that…' Tears slipped from her eyes, and Tom moved to put an arm around her. They sank to the floor, leaning against the bed, as he held her.

'You don't have to go home tonight. You know my mom will let you stay.'

There was a slight plea in his voice; he hated seeing her hurt. At the age of eleven, he didn't realise it, but he loved her.

'Stay the night, and we can bury the capsule tomorrow, together.'

Katie nodded, already planning to slip out of the window once he was asleep. As though he had read her mind, he looked her dead in the eye.

'Don't leave, Katie. Don't run away again.' And she knew that she couldn't.

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'Katie, I think you can stop now. You're not digging a grave,' he said it jokingly, but neither of them laughed.

'Ready?' Together, hands touching, they lowered the box into the ground.

The capsule, carefully packed that morning with various trinkets, including Tom's precious model plane, also held a tape. Katie had insisted that they record themselves talking. Her reasoning was serious, and in all honesty was not suited to a ten-year-old girl.

'_This way, if one of us has to open it alone, we can still hear the other one. And we'll remember. And we'll know we're not really alone.'_

On the box was an inscription, written in Katie's neat, looping handwriting:

_Thomas Brennan and Katherine Austen_

_August 15th 1989_

_Together Forever_

As they threw the earth back onto the time capsule, Katie knew that she had been digging a grave. The last decade of her life was buried in that capsule, and as they walked away, hands loosely linked, she vowed never to look back.


	4. Sixteen

**A/N: Thank you everyone for your patience while I've been writing this chapter. I'm doing three shows at the moment, hence the long waits between updates. As always, let me know what you think, criticism only feeds my desire to improve.**

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_Six years later_

Katie stood in her room, her dress lying across her bed. She was expected downstairs in half an hour, but still couldn't get dressed. She had never been able to see herself wearing a skirt, let alone a floor-length prom dress. Eyeing the material warily, she stepped out of her ripped jeans and Snoopy t-shirt, leaving them strewn across the floor. Sighing, she unzipped the dress and pulled it on ungracefully, not appreciating the way the soft satin flowed over her skin.

Standing in front of her mirror, she looked herself over. The deep emerald green of the dress highlighted her eyes and fair skin. Rolling her eyes at her reflection, she took her brush from her chest of drawers, and ran it through her chestnut hair. Rummaging through a box on her shelf, she picked out a small silver clip set with green jewels, and used it to fasten her hair into a half-pony tail, leaving the rest of her curls tumbling over her shoulders. Realising that she should probably use some make-up, she found a rarely used bottle of mascara, which she hastily flicked on, and a tube of unopened lip-gloss; a present from her Secret Santa the year before.

Grabbing the matching green purse that her mother had insisted on purchasing, she winced as she eased her feet into a pair of emerald heeled slippers that she could only describe as instruments of torture. Casting a backward glance over her shoulder at her reflection, she let out a frustrated sigh, closing her door behind her.

Nearly tripping on the stairs, she concentrated on not stepping on the train of her dress, as she heard the doorbell ring. She hastily slid back the chain, and opened the door to find Tommy, her date, standing in front of her.

'Don't say anything,' she warned, embarrassed at her appearance. It wasn't often anyone saw her dressed up, and she didn't even want to hear Tommy's opinion. He'd probably tease her as he had for months about what she was going to wear. He hadn't even had to ask her to Prom; it was already a foregone conclusion that he would take her.

For the first time in his life, Tommy was speechless. Katie's appearance stunned him, and for the first time he realised how much she'd grown up over the last couple of years. She was no longer the freckle-faced tomboy who could out-run him and beat him at climbing trees. Gone were the days of mud-fights and ridiculous dares. The freckles were still there, but they only served to emphasise her eyes, her delicate features, her soft, dark hair.

He smiled as she practically growled at him, 'I'm sorry, I must have the wrong house. Have you seen Katie Austen anywhere?'

'Haha, very funny,' she play-punched his shoulder, rolling her eyes at him.

She, too, noticed a change in his appearance. She couldn't recall ever seeing him in a suit, and she realised how well it suited him, his once gangly figure filling out the jacket. He was taller, too, she thought; she now had to look up to see into his eyes.

'Well, don't you two look amazing?'

They turned together to see Katie's mom standing in the doorway, tears evident in her eyes.

'My baby girl's all grown up,' she smiled, 'You take care of her, Tommy.'

'I will, Mrs Austen, don't you worry,' he reassured, a hand on Katie's shoulder.

She nodded, wiping her eyes, before producing a camera, 'Now, how about some pictures, before you leave?'

'Aw, mom, do we have to?' Katie whined. She hated having her picture taken, especially when she looked like this, and her mother would probably insist on framing it or putting it in the family album.

'C'mon, Katie. I want a picture with my best friend. Like old times,' Tommy wheedled, knowing that he could always persuade her.

Katie sighed, throwing her hands up in defeat. As her mother gathered the two teens together, she smiled at Tommy shyly. He gave her an appreciative smirk back, and she stuck her tongue out at him.

'Now, now, you two, behave,' her mother warned, as she raised the camera.

'Ready? Smile!'

As the camera flashed, Katie felt a genuine smile creep onto her face, and she relaxed into Tommy's arm that was slung around her shoulder.

After another few pictures, some just Katie, some just Tommy, and a couple of Katie and her mother, Tommy suggested that they leave.

'M'lady, your carriage awaits,' he held out his arm to Katie, and she accepted, taking care to hold up the skirt of her gown as he escorted her to his car.

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Kate laughed at Tommy's good-natured banter as they drove home. She felt slightly light-headed, and knew that they'd both had a couple of glasses of punch too many, but she trusted Tommy to drive; he knew his limits.

As he took a left turn, she raised an eyebrow at him.

'This isn't the way home, Tommy.'

He glanced over and smiled gently, 'I wanted to show you something. I hope you don't mind?'

Kate shook her head and relaxed back into the seat, enjoying the feeling of being the only ones in the world.

Tommy slowed the car as they reached a small clearing on the side of the road.

'Katie, I've been waiting for this all my life. To see the tomboy in you emerge as a beauty. You never let me get close before, never treated me as anything more than a friend, but please don't run away when I do this…'

He leaned towards her, pressed his lips to hers, gently at first, but quickly growing more demanding. As he reached down to unfasten his seatbelt, he moved across, pushing the seat down, until he was nearly on top of her. As her rational thought kicked in, Katie began to struggle, trying to push him off, but he was stronger, and the alcohol only clouded his thoughts.

'Tommy, please, get off, I don't want…'

'Of course you do, Katie, this is what's supposed to happen. You know you want this.' He continued to kiss her neck, moving down her body, but her fear and hurt that he would do this gave her strength.

'Tommy, get _off me_,' she shoved him away, tears glistening on her cheeks. 'I don't want this Tommy, not like this.'

Stepping out of the car, she slammed the door.

'I'm sorry, Katie, don't go, I- '

'You can apologise when you're sober,' she called as she walked away. Her house was only a couple of blocks away; she'd be alright on her own. She should have known better than to trust Tommy. He was just another teenage boy. Why should he be any different from the others?

Sighing, she concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. There was nothing left for her here. Not now that Tommy had betrayed her foolish, child-like trust. She was on her own. And inside, she knew that it would always be that way.


End file.
